Round 8 (2005) Souths Vs Rhinos

[roosterboy60]

[font=Times New Roman, Times, serif]South Sydney Rabbitohs v Orange County Rhinos[/font]

[font=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Game Thread
Please note - This is a game thread only, therefore only game posts can be made here (Teams, Articles).
Any other posts will result in loss of points and is at the discretion of the referee.
Only original essays, not used in previous games, will be marked by referees.[/font]

[font=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Home team captain will be allowed 3 reserves, visiting captain will be allowed 2 reserves
Rules: http://f7s.leagueunlimited.com/rules.asp[/font]

[font=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Full Time: Wednesday 6th July at 9pm (Syd time)[/font]

[font=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Venue: Redfern Oval

Crowd: 11,040
REFEREE: Mystique[/font]

[font=Times New Roman, Times, serif]**Referee Blows Game On!**[/font]

 

[ParraMatt]

ParraMatt (c)
Mzilikazi (vc)
Hightown
Not So Silent Bob
Mr Angry

Reserves

Bartman
Yakstorm

 

[Seano]

Round 8 Team

1. Terracesider
2. Rabbs
3. NqBoy
4. MurphDogg
5. Jose

Reserves
Seano (c)
Pistol
OlympicPark

 

[ParraMatt]

Bartman on for Mr Angry

 

[nqboy]

It’s amazing to me that Qld are competitive in Origin football. Every year, I look at the depth and stars that NSW have at their disposal and wonder how on earth we’re going to compete with them. Every year, Qld has to make up the numbers with players that aren’t Origin standard and wouldn’t go within a bull’s roar of the NSW team. Every year, those players cover themselves in glory, punching above their weight and delighting the Maroon Masses.

This year could have been different. NSW were as strong as ever but Qld were the strongest they had been for many years. We finally had depth in the pack, Webcke and Civoniceva wouldn’t have to carry us by themselves. Steve Price had put his mark on rep football at last and was acclaimed as an 80 minute prop that saved precious interchanges. Ben Ross had another year of development under his belt. Brad Thorn was returning from the dark side and his gargantuan frame and strong form early for Brisbane could be expected to count for plenty in the big games. Jason Smith was back from England and laying waste to the sceptics who doubted his ability with masterful performances for Canberra. And Carl Webb was back from the footballing wilderness, dominating with blockbusting performances in attack and defence for the Cowboys.

At half, Scott Prince had continued his rise to prominence after starring in last year’s series, but even that could not guarantee his selection as the form of Brett Seymour and Jonathon Thurston kept that spot wide open. PJ Marsh was back after injury and starring in his bench spot to provide back-up for Smith at hooker. Tonga and Tate were looking good and the depth in our backline was great with Bowman turning back the clock with his best form and fitness for years, Hodges slowly re-discovering his best at Brisbane.

Our first choice team looked like this: Wesser, Slater, Tonga, Berrigan, Sing, Lockyer, Prince, Jason Smith, Carroll, Thorn, Webcke, Cameron Smith, Price RES: Ross, Civoniceva, Webb, Bowen.

Civ and Ross were there to replace the big boppers when they spelled in an excellent 4 prop rotation. Webb provided a huge impact from the bench and Smith could nurse himself through the game, with all his canny ball-playing, kicking and guile. If there was a weakness, perhaps the lack of a demon tackling machine would be the only one.

And what happened? Webcke retires from rep football. Well, it had to happen sometime and there is no-one more deserving of our thanks than the big man who forged a hard-won reputation as the world’s best prop with limited talent but great heart. His efforts as the cornerstone of our pack over the last 7 years have been a big part of our remaining competitive. Then Jason Smith, after initially stating his eagerness to win Origin selection, gets tapped on the shoulder by his club and also takes an early mark. Again, the man is 33 years old and has had a long history of injuries, so it’s not surprising, but the loss of his creativity and toughness is a shattering blow to our chances. Then Price goes down with a knee injury – what the hell is going on here?

They were the main ones but they weren’t the only ones. Tonga went out in Round 2 but at least we had reasonable cover for him. Tate suffered injury as well. Then Tunza Carroll was ruled out and suddenly we’re left with lightweights like Crocker, Flannery and Maguire. No disrespect to any of those, they’re good players but they’re chalk and cheese compared to Webcke, Smith and Price. Thorn is pushed up to the front row, blunting his impact. Webb, after an outstanding display in Origin 1, is injured early in game 2 and takes no further part. Great, now we’re down to a choice between Shane Tronc, who’s hitting the line and opposition runners like a marshmallow, and Danny Nutley, the undersized workhorse from the Shire with a penchant for conceding silly penalties. With Crocker, we now have two of those in the side.

So we’ve gone from our strongest side for years to another team of nuffys, trying to contain another team of superstars. Joey’s back, Anasta’s back to his best, as is Gasnier. They’ve helped us by picking only two props but we’re lacking the firepower to exploit the opportunity. All we have left is the Qld spirit. Hope it's enough.

748 words.

 

[terracesider]

Terracesider: Souths.


Expansion

A few questions, some more serious than others:

1: What are the odds that by 2015 the NRL will have collapsed and have been replaced by the AFL as the dominant football code in NSW?

2: Cite any evidence of the RFL thinking things through.

3: Name ten Welsh professional Rugby League clubs.

4: What, according to the UK publication, League Weekly, have the following in common: Dai Thomas (Dewsbury); David Watkins, Maurice Richards, Gus Risman (Salford); Jim Sullivan, Billy Boston, Johnny Ring (Wigan); Trysul Griffiths, Johnny Freeman, Ron James (Halifax); Clive Sullivan (Hull); Lewis Jones (Leeds); and Kel Coslett and Steve Llewellyn (St Helens)?

5: Who won the first Rugby League international?


We will address them in reverse order. The first ever RL international match, played at Aberdare on New Years' Day, 1908 was won by Wales who beat Baskerville's New Zealand All Golds, 9-8. Thus began the Rugby League's ambition (obsession, according to some) with expanding the game into Wales.

Wales might be thought to be natural ground for expansion. Ever since Ben Gronow and Johnny Rogers moved from Bridgend to star in Huddersfield's all-conquering Team Of All Talents in the years just before 1914, the Welsh have made a significant contribution to RL, the extent of which can be illustrated by the answer to question 4: they are all Welshmen who have come to RL from Union and still hold various records for the clubs indicated

Yet Wales was always going to be difficult territory for RL expansion. As I indicated in an article for Round 6 of the Forum 7s, the Welsh have traditionally been so passionate about Rugby Union that it has even helped in part to define their nationality. Indeed, the WRU defended its (sh)amateurism with possibly even more vigour and malice than the notoriously vindictive English Union defended theirs, as a result of which players who moved to RL were socially and professionally ostracised. It is, perhaps, therefore no surprise that attempts to introduce professional clubs into Wales have as yet been short-lived, as the answer to question 3 demonstrates:

Merthyr Tydfil (1907-11);

Ebbw Vale (1907-12);

Abedare, (1908-09);

Barry, (1908-09);

Mid-Rhondda (1908-09);

Treherberet (1908-10);

Pontypridd (1926-28);

Cardiff (1951-52 and 1981-84)

Bridgend (1984-85)

Celtic Crusaders (2006-?)

The last one is maybe a bit of a cheat, but from 2006 a team from Bridgend will once again be playing professional RL, in the National League Division 2 under the name “Celtic Crusaders”. In view of previous failure of expansion into Wales, it might be thought that such a decision can hardly be used to answer our second question, but this it does appear that this time somebody at the RFL has thought things through.

Rather than just planting a club down in Wales, the Celtic Crusaders has emerged as part of a long-term development, begun a decade ago when Welsh RU went openly professional. RL is now firmly established in Welsh communities, being played in schools, at junior level and by a seven-team Welsh division of the RL Summer Conference consisting of: Bridgend Blue Bulls; Cardiff Demons; Aberavon Fighting Irish; Torfaen Tigers; Newport Titans; Swansea Valley Miners; and Valley Cougars. Perhaps just as importantly, over the decade since RU went openly professional, a cultural transformation has occurred in Wales, the magnitude of which I have tried to indicate through our facetious first question. Of course, only a madman would predict that over 10 years Rugby League in NSW would collapse, but only a madman would have predicted in 1995 that by 200 5 Welsh RU would be in a state of virtual collapse. Yet it has happened.

I have neither space (nor interest) to detail the disintegration of Welsh RU. Briefly, the Welsh RU has begun to divorce their game from its community roots thus creating a vacuum which RL has not been slow in attempting to exploit, not least through the Summer Conference which has established the game in areas previously RU strongholds. Bearing in mind recent pronouncements by Richard Lewis, RL Executive Chairman, that, rather than being parachuted directly into the top flight, new teams would start in National League Division 2 from where they would evaluated for admittance to ESL, it seems likely that we may well see Celtic Crusaders in ESL in 2008 or 2009 by which time RL community presence in Wales should be even stronger. This time, expansion into Wales could be permanent.

750 words







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[Murphdogg1]

Consistently Inconsistent

Tim Murphy looks at the deeper issues behind the consistent inconsistent performances of the Warriors.

These days when watching the Warriors play, is it just me or is there a feeling of inevitability about their results. One week(usually away) they will have an absolute shocker then the next week get fired up and put in a top performance(usually at home) to put away a top class team (Broncos)

Over the last year or so the Warriors have put in a committed performance in order to get new players to their club, such as Price, Wiki and Fein. This is because after last year’s failures, much of the blame was directed at the playing roster and many iconic players of the club were cut loose (Lauatiiti, Fa’afili). This was done as they thought bringing in players with better attitudes and ability would turn the fortunes of the club around.

What we have witnessed so far this year is no lack of ability but lack of consistency and personally, I believe this is a coach’s and New Zealand rugby league problem not a player’s problem. At this level of the game is it obvious that the coaches are there not to teach the players the basic skills but to get them to bond together for a shard purpose and play a game plan that is successful. The bonding together is not occurring and this is the coach’s role, or should be.

That’s not too say I don’t believe that the players aren’t putting in the effort because they clearly are. There has been a concerted effort by all the players at the club to take responsibility for their actions. This can be seen when looking at the judiciary appearances. Earlier in the year it was stated that the Warriors had twice as many people put on report as the second most reported club. Following this the Warriors made a pact to play a more legal game and since that point there has only been one player put on report.

Defense is another good example as it in my mind often shows how much effort players put in, and the Warriors this year have one of the NRL’s best defensive records but to this day rank well outside the top 8. This is because in my opinion, they do not play a game plan week in week out that the players buy into.

New Zealand rugby league has as much talent on its hands as anywhere else in the Rugby League world. One look around rival clubs and this is apparent (Marshall, Williams, Hunt, Soliola). The Warriors also have plenty current and up and coming talent within their roster (Mannering, Laiseni etc) so we see the New Zealanders that go across the Tasman consistently turning out to be stars while the juniors at the Warriors very rarely reach such heights, or not for a sustained period.

This is where NZ Rugby League falls short. While all the young guns from NZ at Aussie clubs play Premier League or QLD cup, the young kiwis for the Warriors play Bartercard Cup. Put simply, Bartercard Cup is not near the same standard as Premier League, so when these young ones get the call up for the Warriors, they have to jump a huge gulf in a short space of time. Additionally, the style of game that is played in the Bartercard Cup is such a style that is doesn’t develop many quality halves and this is the main problem with the national side at the moment.

This can be seen by taking a comparison between NZ Rugby League’s back rowers and halves. In the back row the Kiwis could field players such as Sonny Bill Williams, Tony Puletua, Joe Galavao, Sione Faumuina Ali Lauati’iti, Frank Pritchard and Bronson Harrison. That’s a fairly lethal combination if you ask me. In the halves we can field Thomas Leuluai, Benji Marshall, Jerome Ropati doesn’t give you the same confidence does it?


So suggestions from here is that the Warriors have a second string side that plays in the NSW Premier League or uses a current Premier League club as a feeder club and sends young talented players over there.

Through this, the Kiwis would be a complete side, reigniting international rugby league once more and the Warriors players will become more consistent performers having learnt these lessons in Premier League and maybe just maybe the Warriors will be a force to be reckoned with once again.


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[ParraMatt]

ParraMatt for the Rhinos runs out onto the field for the second time this season, hoping to stay fit of any injuries.


The Parramatta Eagles

Over the past few years the Parramatta Eels have extended a helping hand to their struggling brethren on the North Shore.



We might have joined the competition in the same year of 1947 but the Manly club has really fallen on hard times, almost from the time they were comprehensively thrashed by a dominant Eels outfit in the 1982 and 1983 Grand Finals.



Sure they’ve snaffled a couple of lucky Premierships since those years of shame but for the most they’ve been a terrible rabble, and none more so than in recent years. Who can forget such stand out moments as the awful mergers with the Bears and them being booed out of the Central Coast, to ritual floggings involving 70 points or more?



As Parramatta is a club of charity, we seem to have taken pity on our northern rivals and have sent them a steady stream of players that have been superfluous to our needs. Here’s a summary of how our second Premier League side, the Parramatta Eagles, have fared in recent seasons.



Daniel Heckenberg:



Poor old Daniel. He wasn’t offered a contract by our club at the end of 2003 so he took the money on offer at Brookvale. Here is the prototype for the “honest toiler”. What this really means is that what he lacks in ability he tries to make up for by running around like a blue arsed fly.



Unfortunately for him, this year has seen him suffer injury to one of his six legs. His return from that calamity lasted one game before he took a hit to the shoulder and he hasn’t been sighted since. His return is listed as “indefinite” as is his standing in the NRL.



Michael Witt:



For a while he was our half, Witt. There were some that thought he even had something of a future and the papers talked him up so much that Wayne Bennett was hoodwinked into including him in the emerging Queenslander squad.



Such was the deviousness that some Eels even bemoaned his departure and called for Coach Smith’s head! Now we have Tim Smith, and Manly have a player that can kick goals and run in concentric circles on a football field whilst knocking the ball on. I think we’ll take Smith thanks.





Kylie Leuluai:



Our Premier League player of the year in 2003 and that’s pretty much where he should have stayed. As soon as Manly gave him higher honours he came to the attention of the judiciary and now he spends more time carrying the drinks than he does on the field.



At least he’s good for the obligatory “strongest man in League” headline during the dull off season. It sure makes for a difference from the normal “reformed Hopoate” stories that tended to emerge from those parts.



Kane Cleal:



You know what I think? It’s better for Manly when he cops one of his many suspensions. Why? Well, Kane would probably be struggling to get a run with the struggling 2005 version of the Wee Waa Panthers, such is the ‘talent’ he’s shown.



It seems his greatest claim to fame is giving away five dumb penalties a game and ripping the heads off Tigers. We shouldn’t expect too much more from a man that resembles a Neanderthal though, should we?



Scott Donald:



The man attracts so much attention for the number of tries that he scores. The only problem is that his “white men can’t jump” routine and his resemblance to a turnstile means that he concedes twice as many as he scores.



What’s the point of having the 7th best attack in the competition if you leak 751 points in a season to run second last in defence?





Shane Dunley



The man can hurl a good golly, as PJ Marsh can attest. That’s the problem though, isn’t it? Who would you rather have coming off the bench? The Origin representative in Marsh or the Angry Ant?



Jamie Lyon:



Some would have you believe he’s destined for Brookvale, but even we’re not THAT bad to inflict a horrible turncoat on the poor Sea Eagles. What is more likely is that his sabbatical to England will end with a return to the Gold Coast, where they have real beaches and shopping malls, not sewage strewn strips of pebbles and a decaying Corso.



So there you have it! The definitive answer to the sniggering Manly fans who think they’ve landed the next Willie Tonga. Suckers!!!

744 words including title

 

[bartman]

Bartman gives some lip for the Rhinos...

Can't we all just get along?

This won't be a popular post to make during an Origin week. But since the Bryan Fletcher incident last weekend, I've held great fears for the collective IQ here among posters in the Front Row Forums. I want to examine how a single incident in a sport that on the one hand unites us (in blue or maroon), can in the same week also serve to fracture us as individuals.

Some people will automatically react by thinking "can't we all just move on?", but my concerns are more along the lines of "can't we all just get along?" But by moving on without addressing the issue, and without discussing it (and without trying to educate while doing so), we risk not learning from our mistakes and repeating the same patterns of behaviour that made the issue come to a head in the first place.

Many league supporters could not see what the big deal about calling someone a "black merkin" was, and why such comments are offensive. I feel an obligation to use Forum Sevens to try and improve understanding of and compassion toward what racism is all about. It's not going to change the world, but if one reader re-considers their attitude as a result, then it's worth more than whatever score this piece gets.

A racial slur (or indeed any discrimination) is about bringing the power that comes with being a member of the majority (or in-group) down on someone who is a member of the minority (or out-group). The person making the comment may not realise or think about that at the time, but that's part of what it means to be on the receiving end. It's about making someone feel smaller because of a difference they have no control over, and should have been left behind in the playground (or better still never occur there at all).

Of course everyone is different in some ways - that's what makes us all humans - but many of these factors are things that the person themselves are not in charge of. That's why discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexuality, race and culture is illegal in NSW (and most other places where anyone will be reading this). These laws are there to give everyone a fair chance of being able to get on with their lives, without unfair barriers for those who do not happen to fall into whatever defines the majority or "norm" in society - the group who have usually set up and maintain that society's structures and power.

The obligation to ensure a discrimination free environment for everyone applies to all professional workplaces, of which the rugby league field is one. Bryan Fletcher's comment sought to demean a work colleague on the basis of their race, which was not relevant in any way to the task at hand.

As I write, this unfortunate incident has been resolved, and the outcomes will serve to promote understanding and reverse the wider divisions that incidents of racism can cause.

Bryan Fletcher himself (eventually) said: “My actions have set a very poor example for kids who follow Rugby League and these types of comments cannot be tolerated in our game." (1)

South Sydney CEO Shane Richardson said: “Bryan Fletcher’s actions yesterday were totally unacceptable…. a clear message needs to be sent that this type of racial taunt is unacceptable by the Club and Rugby League in general." (1)

NRL Chief Executive David Gallop said: “The encouraging sign in all of this is that nobody has had to be reminded of the seriousness of the issue and nobody sees this as something that can be accepted in the game.” (1)

I can't fathom how any intelligent and compassion league supporter could not support these actions to reduce racism in our game, and in our lives. But on these boards for 24 hours from Sunday night, many people went on the attack and showed what they are truly made of.

Rugby league is our passion and our escape. For ninety minutes each week it allows us to forget our differences and the conditions of our individual lives, and unite for the thrill of a contest. At the very least it should allow the players to do that too?

I can never feel as fully united in rugby league knowing now that some members of the community here care more about simply moving on and dividing than allowing everyone to get along.

- - - - -

Word count (including title): 748

Reference: (1) http://www.leagueunlimited.com/article/articletemp.asp?num=8814

 

[rabs]

rabs for Souths intercepts a pass from bartman

The Crowning of King Kenny

Just who is it exactly that bestows a King or Queen with their title? I remember seeing a documentary on Queen Victoria where The Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chamberlain had Victoria awoken from her slumber to inform her she was to be Queen following the death of King William IV. Wally Lewis is widely regarded as the King of State of Origin thus far. However, for me the declaring of ‘King Wally of Origin’ has always left a sour taste in my mouth. Not because I didn’t think highly of Lewis but because of the talents of one Brett Kenny. Now can you imagine Greg Dowling, the rough and tumble prop forward for Queensland State of Origin, the madman footballer who duked it out with Kevin Tamati on the sideline in a test match, being compared to The Archbishop of Canterbury?? What a laugh!! Bear with me though because in a roundabout way it has happened. When Dowling confessed his admiration of Brett Kenny in the recent State of Origin 25 years anniversary special, I for one have never felt more relieved or validated. Dowling suggested that whenever Kenny was not chosen at five-eighth the Queenslanders breathed a sigh of relief and felt certain to win. Who were the NSW selectors in those days?? Well whoever they were I hope they felt embarrassed when they watched this golden moment of rugby league television history. The stats back it up – when Kenny opposed ‘King Wally’ at five-eighth, NSW won 8 from 12 matches. . It is true that the guys named at five-eighth and thus pushing Kenny to the centres were good players (Thompson, Lamb, & Lyons), but hell when you’ve got future royalty in your team you don’t play him out of position. When Kenny played Origin at centre NSW lost 4 out of 4.

The career of Brett Kenny pretty much ran in conjunction with Wally’s. Both players came to prominence at the beginning of the 80’s and ended in the early 90’s. In my time of watching football Kenny is the best player I have witnessed. If there has been a more instinctive and technically superior footballer in the last 25 years then I’ll eat my hat. It is true that direct comparison of Lewis to Kenny is flawed, as they were a distinctly different style of players. Lewis had no peer when it came to motivating his men. Kenny however let his hands and feet do the talking and what a delight to watch he was. The man had the quickest and crispest hands you’ll ever see and on his feet he could make Fred Astaire look like an amateur. Kenny rarely, if ever, kicked the ball. He had the confidence in his ability to beat the man with a blinding turn of speed, a deft dummy, a swerve and a step and the thing he did that impressed me the most was his passing ability. Kenny could put a man through the tightest of defences with an amazing sixth sense that allowed him to time a pass to the millisecond whilst landing it perfectly on his mans chest. Absolute heaven to watch. This is the main reason the selectors should offer themselves up to be sacrificed to the selection blunder gods. A man of this skill needs his hands on the ball as much as possible and at five-eighth that will happen. Stuck out in the centres we were never going to see Kenny having the impact his talents demanded. Lewis raised the spirits of his team, Brett Kenny at five-eighth equated to points and points are how we decide the winner of an Origin. All this attacking genius and I haven’t even mentioned his defence! Brett was a copybook tackler and he always took his man down, head in the correct position and always around the legs. Add to this his anticipation which proved handy in both attack for taking intercepts and in defence for cutting short attacking raids and you have the complete footballer.

In Origin Queensland are nearly always the underdogs, and that’s how they like it. Greg Dowling and his off the cuff comment have shown that while they may be underrated they know their football, it’s just a pity the NSW selectors were not so smart on four separate occasions when they pushed Brett from five-eighth to centre. Brett Kenny is King, crowned so by Greg Dowling in Origins 25th anniversary special.

747 words

 

[Not so silent Bob]

That Winning Feeling.


I love it when the Wests Tigers win. There’s nothing better than relaxing on a weekend or (in the latest case) a Friday night and watching my team beat the hapless team that happens to play the Tigers when they’re firing on both barrels. It’s even more fun to watch them absolutely smash a team that I happen to hate very, very much. You know who you are.

It’s not so much that we actually win the game. It’s how we win it. When I see all the players doing their jobs the way they should be done, for example, I love seeing Scott Prince on his game, where all his kicks and passes hit there target. When I see the coach’s selections make sense (Dene Halatau? How does he keep getting picked?). Even the trainer doing his work well is great to see, even though I don’t see it much.

You’re probably wondering “But you’re a Wests supporter! You don’t see your team win much!” Well, to that I say, “Shut up, arsehole!” Seriously though, allow me to provide you with some examples of what I mean:

Round 3, 2005, Tigers vs. Bulldogs: This win is firmly entrenched in my memory as the game where we messed up, then killed them, then messed up again, then put them away. We started off by conceding 2 tries in a row. Great, I thought to myself, we are going to get slaughtered. Then Wests scored, and I thought hang on a second, we’re still in this. Then the Dogs scored again, and I thought, well bugger me. 18-6 at half-time and I didn’t really feel like watching the tripe they were serving.

But then the second half started, and we scored a try. Then another one. And another. And another. Then one last try made me think “How far did we have to reach into our arses to pull that out?” but lo and behold, the Bulldogs scored three quick tries and I sunk into a stupor, until Scott Prince brought us home with a field goal. Thank god, I thought to myself. I hate losing to the Dogs.

Round 4, 2005, Tigers vs. Roosters: Oh great, another game where we are going to get smashed. Ah well, such is the life of a Wests supporter. But something happened that day: we were winning by half-time. I couldn’t believe that we were beating one of last year’s grand finalists. But then the Roosters scored points until they were on twenty six. Damn it, they ran us down, so now they’re gonna beat the crap out of us.

So you can imagine my surprise when we ended up winning 32-26. Cue myself running around like a maniac screaming “Roosters suck, Bulldogs suck!” It was unbelievable, because I hate both the Roosters and the Bulldogs.

Round 14, 2005, Tigers vs. Sharks: This was the first game of the season I was confident we’d win, or at least be competitive in. What was good about this game is that even though the first half was pretty even, we absolutely killed them in the second half. It was like the Bulldogs’ game, except without the paper-thin defense that plagued us. Final result: 34-18 to the Tigers. Brilliant.

Round 17, 2005, Tigers vs. Sea Eagles: “Oh dear God” was what I was thinking during the lead up to this game. Let me elaborate: We were picked as favorites. It is well known that the Tigers struggle when they have the favoritism tag.

For the first thirty minutes, it was back and forth, like Wimbledon (which, coincidentally, was on straight after the footy), except less boring. Then, at about the thirty-second minute mark, The Wests Tigers lived up to their tag. From then on, Scott Prince and Benji Marshall ran the show. And that’s something every other team in the competition should learn to fear.

Final result: 49-24 Tigers. It doesn’t get much better than this. Smashing Manly like they were Newcastle is a great feeling. Especially because I hate Manly.

There is one game I’m looking forward to that I think we can win as well. It involves strong opposition, a big crowd, and a couple of pansies on the other team. It will be on Sunday, 2nd October 2005. The match will involve the Parramatta Eels, and the almighty… St George/Illawarra Dragons! Come on, even I don’t think the Tigers can make the Grand Final this year.

It would be good though.

750 words, including title.

 

[Mzilikazi]

Silly Season Strategy

So you though the July silly season is all about ploughing into the market and buying up all the best players before everyone else? Think again. It’s much more complicated than that!

A football club that waits for July is a football club in dire trouble. What it takes is a balance of many strategies to bring about true success. Here’s a summary.

Chase those blue chips:

This one is everyone’s favourite. Get out there, sign the stars and watch the Premierships roll in. Much like Parramatta did in 1995. Ahem.

Anyone relying on this in 2005 is in dire trouble. Old Mother Hubbard has gone to her cupboard to find that it’s nearly bare.

The Gold Coast club have already snaffled four of the available blue chips whilst other clubs have taken greater pains to retain their own before the anti-tampering deadline expired.

If rumours that Anasta is Bondi-bound are true, it means that this year there is only one legitimate blue chip signing left on the market – Orford – and Souths are desperate to throw everything and the kitchen sink at him to secure a marquee signing. This time last year there were at least 10 legitimate blue chip players coming up for grabs!

Seek the rough diamond:

You want a good example. Look at what Manly did in 2003, for 2004. Sign up several fringe first graders and junior players in the hopes that some of them will prove to be a rough diamond. Another vein to mine is that of injury struck players who have been off the radar for the past year or longer.

Notable rough diamonds in recent years have been Willie Tonga, Scott Prince, Luke Covell and Carl Webb. However, for every Chris Hicks there seems to be a dozen of the likes of Ian Donnelly, Jye Mullane and Dallas Rennie.

I’m not convinced of the merits of the scatter gun approach of seeking the rough diamond. It ends up with a lot of baggage, dead wood and disgruntlement in the ranks. There are also no guarantees that a club solely employing this strategy will collect little more than a brood of mercenaries in the hope that one or two of them come good, given time and opportunity.

Development of youth:

Again looking at Manly, they’ve poached Crusher Cleal and he has been trawling the junior ranks for promising youngsters to bring to the club.

With two years under his belt there is every reason for confidence that Manly will begin to see some of the fruits of Cleal’s labour join Ashley Alberts in first grade over the next twelve months.

However, it’s a process that requires patience and time. It takes at least two years before changes to a development program start to flow through to the first grade ranks.

Poms:

There have been several Englishmen in the English Super League that have expressed an interest in coming to the NRL for the challenge. Let’s be frank, Australia knows we can’t compete with the English clubs when it comes to the size of the salary. However, there are some things we can offer that they can’t, namely.

. The opportunity to challenge themselves and prove their worth in what is generally agreed as the toughest Rugby League competition there is; and

. The chance to sizzle on Dee Why beach, something that seems to be in vogue with twenty-something Englishmen and indicative of the lifestyle and experiences that we can offer.

Personally, there’s something about attracting players wanting an opportunity to prove themselves, that appeals far more than the possibility of being a transit lounge for the latest bunch of mildly talented Australian mercenaries.

Think outside the square:

Thinking even further outside the square, I do think there is a market for fringe provincial players in Rugby Union who might be looking for a lifestyle change and a challenge. The expansion to a Super 14 makes this less likely, but there is the possibility that, in South Africa and the Pacific Islands in particular, there are fringe players who would appreciate the challenge of Rugby League and the opportunity to make a new life for themselves on Australian shores.

Best case scenario? Joe Rokocoko tires of being on the outer with the All Blacks but decides the frigid tundra and pounds of England or the sushi and yen of Japan and comes looking for a challenge in Australia.

Yeah, yeah, I know. We can all dream!

(745 words including titles)

 

[Pistol]

I removed this post and the matter has been discussed with Willow

 

[Pistol]

As above

 

[Esoj]

Jose aka Esoj runs it up for souths on his debut appearance

Warrior's Proud Decade


The Warriors recently celebrated 10 years in the top grade.The warriors like other clubs have experienced the highs of being successful and also the lows of poor seasons and off field dramas.

For the Warriors life began back in 1995 their first season in the then Winfield cup. Their opponents that night were the same they faced 2 weeks ago the mighty Brisbane Broncos. Everyone was excited with expectation the first match of a new era in New Zealand league history. Brisbane were highly fancied to beat these new upstarts from New Zealand but they got more than they bargained for come kickoff. The team in those days was called Auckland warriors and managed to jump out to a very surprising 10-0 lead and later in the match a comfortable 22-12 lead. The Broncos being the champion team that they are came back and won the game but it was remembered for the pride these new upstarts from New Zealand played with. This first game was only the beginning for the warriors and many more things were to come.

Ian Robertson was the CEO in those days and he became famous for many reasons not many that were good. One of those was the signing of Ruben Wiki but as it turned out Robertson had used a napkin for the deal the end result was no Wiki. Robertson made his name with big spending on players like John Kirwan Marc Ellis, Andy Platt and pre match entertainment. When Robertson left the warriors were left paying contracts of players that had left the club or were still there on big contracts. The form of the Auckland team also plummeted after nearly making the semis in 1995. Many wondered if the club would ever recover to be competitive again. In these dark times for the club the players still played with passion and pride and surprised many by making the semis of the world club challenge in 1997

Things for the Warriors did not get much better in latter seasons and in 2000 there was a real chance the Warriors would cease to exist. The club was in debt and was put up for sale. Eric Watson bought the club with the NZRL also taking a stake in the warriors. The team was renamed to the New Zealand Warriors and the club only kept 10 players from the 2000 season. The Warriors also bought a new coach Daniel Anderson who introduced some of the local talent like Clinton Toopi Francis Meli to the struggling team for the 2001 season. The players that year played with great pride to make the finals for the first time in the clubs history. The 2001 season was only the beginning for the Warriors with 2002 exceding all expectations with a grand final appearance. That grand final marked a transformation of a once struggling club into a team that played with pride every game instead of just every now and then. In season 2003 the men from across the Tasman made the finals again but were beaten in the semis and no one would have predicted what was to come.

Season 2004 was one of the worst years for the Warriors finishing equal last and along the way star coach Daniel Anderson left the club. The once glamour boys of the NRL were now the easy beats and an almost certain 2 points. Large amounts of fans also left the club unhappy with the on field results and season 2005 didn't seem like much better results would happen. The Warriors players had other ideas and smart recruitment by the club has once again seen the Warriors a competitive force in the NRL. The team is once again playing with the pride that saw them one of the most feared teams in the comp.

The Warriors have been through a lot in their 10 year journey experiencing the highs in there first season followed by some lean years and then rising to the top of the NRL.The game of 1995 was brought back to life 2 weeks ago by the this team of 2005.That game 2 weeks ago marked their 10th year anniversary in the league elite and also went back to where their journey of pride all began in 1995.

Words 715
Sources
sources
rl1908.com
nzwarriors.com

 

[Hightown Tiger]

Starting on the wing, the Rhinos Hightown 'Billy Slater' Tiger gives his opposite number the big don't argue!

Red Mist

I’ve always been interested in attendances. One of the first things I look for when I pick up a copy of the League Express (Britains equivalent of ‘The Big League’) on a Monday is the attendances.

So imagine my surprise (or should that be disgust?) when I found out there was a fantastic crowd of just 2,682 at The Willows for Salford City Reds clash with Huddersfield Giants. Maybe I’ve got a bit big headed, what with Castleford averaging 5-6,000 in National League 1 (the league below Super League). Maybe I’m big headed because Castleford attractaed more than 8,000 for the visit of Whitehaven. But 2,682?!?!?

What annoys me more than anything, is both Huddersfield and Salford have play off aspirations. Ok, Huddersfield can’t have taken more than a couple of hundred fans, but more blame should be directed at Salford, after all they were the home team. But my point is, how can Salford in particular hope to push themselves and develop into a team consistently pushing for the playoffs? They have playoff aspirations more short term (ie this season). How can they hope to sign the likes of Morley and Minichello (both rumoured to have interested Salford in the past) on crowds of 2,600 ish? And perhaps most significantly, what will crowd of 2,600 look like in Salfords state of the art, all singing all dancing new 20,000 seater stadium.

I don’t want to touch too much on stadiums, and the issue of stading/seating as I’ve covered this area in a previous article. But I’d be very interested to know how many of the 2,682 sat down. I personally feel no more than 2-300 will have sat down, so why the new stadium is to be all-seater is anyone’s guess.

But what is the problem in Salford, they have never managed to consistently get good crowds. One factor (and any Salford fans reading this may disagree) is the area. Again, I don’t want to touch on this too much because Castleford isn’t exactly brilliant. But around the area of ‘The Willows’ are rows and rows of boarded up houses. I’ve experienced stones being thrown at supporters coaches. And in general it’s not a very welcoming place.

Another reason, and a much more direct reason is on the day of the Salford-Huddersfield game, a number of key events were taking place. There was an Oasis concert, and The Green Eyed Bobster (Bob Geldof) and friends were playing down in Hyde Park.

However Salford’s away support isn’t much better, apart from the 2 relegation ‘dogfight’ games at Castleford last season, Salford have very rarely brought more than a few hundred. I remember in particular a cold, wet Friday night at Castleford when Salford’s support can’t have reached triple figures.

I’d genuinely like to hear from any Salford fans, and ask do the club promote itself in the surrounding areas. How much work is done in schools. What are the long term plans, with regards to attracting supporters to the new stadium. And more importantly, how do they feel about the attendance? Was it expected, or were they also surprised. I’m not trying to knock Salford, because they have a famous history and although the surrounding areas aren’t very pleasant, the stadium itself is a proper, old fashioned stadium. Just how I like them.

Places in Super League are not dependent on attendances, and yes I know that at the end of the day Salford are in Super League, and have a right to be there. Whereas on the other hand, my beloved Castleford Tigers aren’t in Super League. But over on rlfans, nospam49 (love him or hate him he does ask probing questions) has asked the following question: What do Salford offer? (On a personal note I don’t mind their stadium, I prefer it to the likes of the JJB, but that’s about all I can think) Maybe that’s going too far, but right now it’s hard to name many things which they do actually bring to SuperLeague.

671 words including title

 

[antonius]

Ref Blows Fulltime.

 

[bartman]

Well done to both teams - 5 posts each. Some good reads in there.

 

[Esoj]

yep well done to all and best of luck to everyone especially the souths players

 

[rabs]

good luck teams